Passive solar portable heater

ABSTRACT

A passive solar heating unit is disclosed, including a portable heater version of the invention that includes an insulated shell structure, an inclined, vertically shaped window formed within the structure, an insulated door to the structure, a handle, and two operating positions, one for summer and one for winter. The heating unit has a dark exterior to absorb heat and a reflective interior to trap sunlight entering through the window. When used to generate heat sufficient to heat food and other items, the ratio of the interior volume of the unit to the size of the sunlight window is approximately 16:1. Other configurations, for providing heat in other applications, utilize different volume to window size ratios and different shaped windows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a passive solar heating unit. Aportable heater version of the invention includes an insulated shellstructure, an inclined, vertically shaped window formed within thestructure, an insulated door to the structure, a handle, and twooperating positions, one for summer and one for winter. The heating unithas a dark exterior to absorb heat and a reflective interior to trapsunlight entering through the window. When used to generate heatsufficient to heat food and other items, the ratio of the interiorvolume of the unit to the size of the sunlight window is approximately16:1. Other configurations, for providing heat in other applications,utilize different volume to window ratios and different shaped windows.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable.

STATEMENT AS TO THE RIGHTS TO INVENTIONS MADE UNDER FEDERALLY SPONSOREDRESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

REFERENCE TO A “SEQUENCE LISTING,” A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAMLISTING APPENDIX SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISK

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Box-type solar ovens have been in existence since at least the 18^(th)century. A comprehensive compendium of different box cookers from aroundthe world was provided at http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/Box_cookers(a printed copy of this website entitled “Box cookers—Solar Cooking,”dated 4 Feb. 2009, was included in the Information Disclosure Statementfiled with the present application). The earliest designs were comprisedof an insulated box with one or two glass panes forming a horizontalcover and window to the oven. When more than one glass pane is used forthe window, an air gap is usually created between the two panes to forman insulation barrier. An example of this type of oven is illustrated inU.S. Pat. No. 3,391,688. Another variation involves inclining the upperof the two panes by some angle to position that pane relative to theposition of the sun in the sky. An example of this type of oven, wherethe movable upper pane is attached to the lower box by a telescopingstrip assembly, is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,220,141. In general,the size of the window to the box oven is sized as large as possiblebased on the adage that more sun light entering the box equals more heatwithin the box.

Many additional variations to box ovens have been developed over theyears, including the addition of knobs or handles for the lid window,handles for the insulated base, and the development of dome shapedwindow lids (like the glass top of a cooking pot). The interior of suchbox ovens was typically the natural color of the material used to makeit, such as tin, sheet metal and aluminum. The interior surface wasoften painted black to absorb heat, although the paint was often removedafter multiple cleanings. If the interior is made of sheet glass, theglass can be painted black on the reverse side (which does not touch thefood). The exterior surface of the box was usually its natural color andnot painted, or no significance was attributed to the exterior color.

Since World War II, box ovens have been improved by the addition of agreat variety of different exterior reflectors. U.S. Pat. Nos.4,077,391, 4,125,109, 4,284,071, 4,292,957, 4,378,790 and 4,446,854,illustrate a base oven with one or more externally propagating reflectorpanes for directing sun light toward the base oven. U.S. Pat. No.4,848,320 illustrates that the base may be turned at an angle toward theangle of the sun. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,850,339 and 5,139,010 illustrate boxovens with lids than can be tilted to act as reflectors. U.S. Pat. No.5,617,842 illustrates a base with a number of flower-petal shapedreflectors placed on a stand that can be oriented relative to the sun.Many of these box ovens are designed to generate enough heat at acooking surface to boil water and fully cook foods, including meat,vegetable and grain meals, and are not portable, or easily portable.U.S. Pat. No. D259,694 does illustrate a more portable box oven withexternally projecting reflectors.

In more recent years, solar ovens have largely moved away from the moretraditional box design, such as toward parabolic cookers, such as thatillustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,696,285, which includes a complicatedframe assembly for adjusting for azimuth, declination and latitude toaccurately track the position of the sun in the sky. A moreuntraditional design is illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,360, whichdescribes a large inflatable transparent bubble within which a foodholding body can be placed when the bubble is inflated. United StatesPublication Number US2006/00501 illustrates one of the latestadvancements in box oven design, where the box oven is electricallyconnected to an externally positioned solar panel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portable solar heater in its summeroperating position in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the solar heater of FIG. 1 in its winteroperating position;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the solar heater of FIG. 1 illustrating itsdoor in the closed and open positions;

FIG. 4 is a rear, perspective view of the solar heater of FIG. 1 whenthe door is removed;

FIG. 5 a is a side view and FIG. 5 b is a front view of a pet solarheater; and

FIG. 6 a is a side view and FIG. 6 b is a front view of a tent solarheater.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a passive solar heater that can beused to portably store, carry and heat food and other items, and whichcan also be used for other applications, such as a heated house for apet or a heated tent for human use. The portable heater 10, asillustrated in FIG. 1 is comprised of an insulated shell 12 having sevenpanels, including an inclined panel 14 with a window 16. The exteriorsurface of the shell 12 is formed of a plastic, metal or similarly rigidmaterial that is darkly colored, preferably black so that it will absorbas much heat from sun light as possible. The interior surface of theshell 12 is also formed of a plastic, metal or similar material, but islightly colored and is preferably highly reflective so sun lightentering the shell 12 will be reflected around the inside of the heater10 and trapped (as further described below), so as to heat the interiorof the shell 12 and any item it may contain. As referred to herein, apanel is a face of the heater 10, which is comprised of both theinterior and exterior surfaces of the shell 12, any insulation that maybe in between, and any other unique aspects of that face, such as theinclusion of a window in the case of the inclined panel described below,or the latch and hinges associated with the door pane, also as describedbelow.

Attached to two side panels of the shell 12 is a handle 18. The handlecould be molded into the side panels of the shell or attached throughnumerous different attachments, such as a clip structure where thefemale clip is molded into the side panel and the male clip is moldedinto the handle. The female clip is formed to have a narrower outeropening and larger interior area so that the male clip is compressed asit is inserted into the female clip and then expands when it enters thelarger interior area, thereby preventing the male clip from beingremoved from the female clip.

The handle 18 could be rigid or flexible. A flexible plastic handle 18could be used when the shell 12 is formed of plastic, while a rigidmetal handle 18 could be used when the shell 12 is formed of metal, suchas stainless steel. Alternatively, the handle 18 could be formed of avariety of materials, such as plastic core with a stainless steelexterior.

A hatch or door panel 20 is located at the back of the heater 10 asillustrated in FIG. 1 and held in place against the main component ofthe heater 10 by a latch 22. The latch 22 is preferably a compressiontype latch that will force the door 20 to form a very tight seal withthe main component of the heater 10. The door panel 20 would be hingednear the bottom panel 24 of the heater 10 so that the door panel 20could swing away from the main component of the heater 10 and lay flaton the surface upon which the heater was sitting. The hinge 26 could beformed with one piece in the shell 12 of the main component, a secondpiece in the door panel 20, and a pin joining the two pieces together.Likewise bearing hinges or strap hinges could be used, depending on theamount of expense the manufacturer of the heater wants to dedicate tothe hinge function. It is important that the hinge 26 help to form atight seal between the door panel 20 and the main component of theheater 10 so no heat generated within the heater is lost through theseal formed by the door panel 20 with the main component of the heater10.

The window 16 is formed within an inclined panel and is made of atransparent or translucent material, such as glass, polycarbonate,polymethyl methacrylate (commonly called acrylic glass), etc., with anR-value (thermal insulation or resistance) of 1 or greater. Thenon-window portion of the inclined panel would be formed of the samematerials as the other panels, and have similar insulation, only itwould be designed to also hold the window, which would likely have a lowinsulation level (the R-value). In order to achieve a higher R-value,thicker glass could be utilized or multiple layers of thinner glasscould be used. A double pane glass window has an R-value of 2, a triplepanel has an R-value of 3, etc.

The R-value is a measure of the thermal resistance of an insulatingmaterial. Increasing the thickness of an insulating material increasesthe R-value. More specifically, the R-value is a measure of aninsulating material's heat lost retardation under specified testconditions. The primary mode of heat transfer impeded by an insulatingmaterial is convection, but also involves conduction and radiation.R-values are determined by

R=1/U

where U is the U-factor (or U-value), the overall heat transfercoefficient, which describes how well an insulation material conductsheat. The U-factor measures the rate of heat transfer through theinsulation material over a given area, under standardized conditions.The usual standard is a temperature gradient of 24° C., at 50% humidity,with no wind. The U-factor is measured in units of watts/m²-K, using theInternational System of Units (SI), so the R-value is measured inKelvin, square meters per watt, or K-m²/W. In the United States, theR-value is measured in degrees Fahrenheit, square feet hours per Btu(ft²-° F-h/Btu). 1 K-m2/W is approximately equal to 5.67446ft²-°F-h/Btu.

The area of the window 16 in square inches is proportional to theinterior volume of the shell 12 of the heater 10 in cubic inches, andthe ratio between the two is application specific. In order to achieve amaximum heating capacity within the heater 10, which is necessary forheating food and certain other smaller items, the ratio between thevolume and the window area is preferably 16:1, although ratios as low as20:1 and as high as 5:1 would be acceptable. The ratio of 16:1 has beenfound to yield the greatest heating capacity for the present invention,when used to heat food and other items, but higher and lower ratiosenables the present invention to be adapted to other climates, latitudesand dimensional footprints. The present invention can be implemented inother applications, other than heating food, such as heating a pet houseor heating a tent in which humans are staying.

A smaller ratio between the interior volume of the shell 12 and the areaof the window 16 will generate less heat within the heater, therebymaking it safer and more appropriate for other uses. A bigger windowrelative to the interior volume will reduce the overall insulation ofthe heater by reducing the amount of insulated shell (as furtherdiscussed below) and cut down on internal reflection, thereby generatingless heat and retaining less heat. A smaller window relative to theinterior volume will let in too little sunlight to generate sufficientheat within the heater 10 to provide adequate heat in some instances.For example, the Food and Drug Administration recommends that foodheating ovens heat food to a temperature of 140 degrees, so the portableheater needs to be able to generate at least that level of internalheat, if not more. At the same time, a pet house that generated aninternal temperature of 140 degrees would be deadly, so the ratio needsto be lower for that application. As will be further explained belowwith reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, a pet house preferably has a ratio of6:1, while a human tent has a ratio of 12:1, although other ratios arepossible.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the portableheater 10 is positioned in its summer operating position, the dimensionsof the shell 12 and the window 16 are as follows:

The length of the bottom panel 24, including the width of the door panel20, is 13 inches, and the width is 14.5 inches;

The height of the door panel 20 is 12 inches;

The height of the front face panel 28 is 7 inches;

The width of the inclined face panel 14 is 8.5 inches;

The top panel 30, including the width of the door panel 20, is 6 inches;and

The window 16 is 5 inches high by 10 inches wide.

After accounting for a portion of the internal volume created by theshell 12 and door panel 20 being filled with insulation for the heater,the above dimensions yield an interior volume of the heater 10 of ±800cubic inches, while the area of the glass window 16 is ±50 squareinches, thereby creating a 16:1 ratio.

In addition to the ratio of internal volume to window area beingimportant, the top panel (either front face panel 28 or top panel 30),the face panel in which the window 16 is placed, and the angle at whichthe window 16 is positioned are also important, and these positionschange depending on the time of year and location of the user. Asillustrated in FIG. 1, the heater 10 is positioned in its summeroperating position, so that the door panel 20 opens at the rear of themain component of the heater 10, the top panel 30 forms the top of theheater 10, and the window 16 is positioned at an angle of ±25 degreesrelative to the surface upon which the heater 10 is sitting. In thesummer, when the sun is generally higher in the sky during the middleportion of each day, the angle of 25 degrees has been found to be idealfor generating the greatest heat within the heater 10 for people livingwithin the largest population centers in the northern and southernhemispheres. Closer to the equator, the angle of the window 16 could bereduced to 5 degrees relative to the surface.

Placing the window 16 on a sloping or inclined face panel (versus on ahorizontal upper surface) is important because the angle of the window16 prevents solar energy entering the heater 10 from easily reflectingback out of the heater 10. This design also enables the top panel of theheater 10 (top panel 30 in the summer and front face panel 28 in thewinter) to improve the thermal insulating aspects of the heater. If thewindow was also the top of the heater 10, as is the case in most priorart box-style heaters, much of the solar energy entering the heaterwould be reflected back out, and the window, which has a low R-value,would do little to retain the heat rising within the heater to its top.By angling the window and utilizing a top with a significantly higherR-value, the present invention is able to reduce solar energy reflectionand retain more heat rising within the heater 10 to the top, whetherthat is top panel 30 or front face panel 28, as noted below.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the heater 10 is positioned in its winteroperating position, so that the heater 10 is now sitting on its doorpanel 20, which now becomes the bottom of the shell 12, and the frontface panel 28 is now the top of the shell 12. Likewise, what was the toppanel 30, now becomes a side, and what was the bottom panel now becomesa side. To open the unit, the door panel 20 would be unlatched by thelatch 22, the door would be held down on the ground surface, and themain component would be tilted away until its side (formerly its bottom)was sitting on the ground surface. When the heater 10 is positioned inits winter operating position, the angle of the window 16 to the groundis approximately 55 degrees, which is an ideal angle for maximizingsunlight during the winter away from the equator, when the sun is lowerin the sky during the middle portion of each day, while still preventingsolar energy entering the heater from easily escaping.

A further unique characteristic of the heater 10 of the presentinvention is that it is designed for both optimal summer and winter usewithout requiring any alteration or modification by a user. A user couldopen the door panel 20 in either operating mode, place an item to beheated inside (in the summer it would be placed on the bottom surface ofthe interior and in the winter it would be placed on the interiorsurface of the door), close the unit and position the window 16 so thatit faces the most sunlight. The portable nature of the heater 10 alsoenables it to operate as a storage unit for items that may be heatedlater. For example, a user could place a food item in the heater 10 inthe morning, such as a covered bowl of soup, or a burrito, and carrythat food item to a job site inside the heater 10. To prevent the fooditem from being prematurely heated, the heater 10 could be turned sothat sun light could not easily shine through the window 16. Dependingon the season, the user would turn the window 16 toward the sun sometimeprior to wanting to eat the food item to be heated. In the summer, thistime period might be thirty minutes and in the winter, this time periodmight be an hour. Once the heater 10 has had sufficient time to collectsun light and retain that heat energy, the food item would besufficiently heated to be consumed. Other items could also be heatedand/or dehydrated in a similar fashion, such as wet items of clothing, afrozen piece of equipment, etc.

The vertical shape of the window 16 is also important in that it helpsto control the efficiency of the heater 10, especially when it is usedto heat other items for other purposes, such as heating a pet within apet house or a human (and their gear and clothing) within a tent, asfurther described below. When the heater 10 is used to heat food andother items that can get very hot, a wider vertical shape to the glasswill maximize solar energy collection, reduce reflection out of theheater, and retain as much heat as possible. When used in other designs,this same vertical shape may create too much heat, so the shape isaltered to reduce efficiency, such as by making the glass taller. In theevent greater efficiency is needed, however such as on a really coldday, the house or tent can be turned on its side to increase efficiency.Hence the overall design of the present invention maximizes theflexibility of the heater. These various features (such as the interiorvolume to window area ratio, the shape of the window, the angle of thewindow during the time of year, and other features to be furtherdescribed below,) of the heater unit work together to collect as muchpassive heat energy from the sun as possible given the time of the year,while preventing reflection and retaining as much of that heat aspossible within the heater 10.

As a result of its design, with the portable heater 10, the item to beheated can reach temperatures as high as 200 degrees within as little asan hour. This temperature is sufficient to heat coffee, soup and otherliquids to a temperature that will feel hot to a user. Sandwiches,burritos and similar types of lunch items could be safely heated forconsumption. Even a frozen item, such as a burrito can be defrosted andheated to a safe temperature for consumption within a relatively shortperiod of time. As noted, the heater 10 can also be used to heatnon-food items, such as frozen mechanical or electrical parts, gloves,hats and other gear, etc. Although a seal is formed between the door 20and the main component of the heater 10, sufficient moisture can leakthrough the seal to enable a user to dry or dehydrate items as well,such as a wet pair of gloves. When the heater 10 is not being used toheat items, it can also be used to store items, such as phone, keys, awallet, etc.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the side and rear of the heater 10with the door panel 20 fully open. This illustrates that the volume ofthe interior area 32 of the heater 10 is reduced by the thickness of theinsulated area 34 of the shell 12. The interior area 32 is furtherillustrated in FIG. 4, which shows the interior area 32 of the heater 10without the door panel 20 in place. The surfaces 36 of the interior area32 and the internal side of the door panel 20 are made of a highlyreflective material so as to cause as much light entering through thewindow 16 to be reflected within the interior area 32, which serves totrap more of the sun's heat energy within the heater 10. The surfaces ofthe interior area 32 could be made of a white plastic, stainless steelor some other metal. Preferably, these surfaces are mirror finished oreven parabolic finished thereby enhancing reflectivity and directingheat energy toward the central portion of the interior area 32 where theitem to be heated is located.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the insulated area 34 is between one to twoinches thick and is filled (between the shell 12 and the surface of theinterior area 32) with an insulating material, such as a blowninsulation material or a foam insulation, that results in the insulatedbody of the heater having an R-value of at least 5, with higher R-valuesbeing highly desired. If more efficient insulating materials are used,then the thickness of the insulated area 34 could be reduced, therebypossibly reducing the size of the shell 12 without decreasing interiorvolume. The door panel 20 would be similarly insulated, and when thedoor is shut and latched with latch 22, a tight seal would be formedbetween the door panel 20 and the shell 12, so as to prevent heatescape. As shown in FIG. 3, the compression latch 22 is comprised of twoparts, the latch handle mechanism 22A and the latch point 22B that worksin cooperation with the mechanism 22A to pull the door panel 20 tightlyagainst the shell 12.

A passive solar pet house in accordance with the present invention isillustrated in FIG. 5A, which provides a partially cut-away side view ofthe pet house 50, and FIG. 5B, which provides a front view. In thepreferred embodiment of the present invention, when the pet house 50 ispositioned in its summer operating position, the dimensions of the shell52 and window 56 are as follows:

The bottom side panel 54 is 3 feet 6 inches square;

The height of the pet house 50 is 3 feet;

The height of the front face panel 58 is 1 foot;

The depth of the top panel 60 is 1 foot 6 inches; and

The window 56 is 1 feet 6 inches high by 3 feet wide.

After accounting for a portion of the internal volume created by theshell 52 being filled with insulation, the above dimensions yield aninterior volume of the pet house 50 of ±27 cubic feet, while the size ofthe glass window 56 is ±4.5 square feet, thereby creating a preferable6:1 ratio. Ratios of between 4.5:1 and 6.75:1 would also be acceptable.

As with the portable heater 10, the window 56 shape and the internalvolume to window size ratio is selected to generate an appropriateamount of heat within the pet house 50. Unlike the heater 10, which isintended to heat food to a safe consumption temperature, the pet house50 is only intended to provide a comfortable temperature range for a dogor cat when outside temperatures are lower, such as in the spring,winter and fall. During the summer months in parts of the world, itmight be necessary to cover the window to prevent the pet house 50 fromoverheating. A retractable cover could be incorporated into the pethouse 50, or applied over the window 56, to facilitate covering thewindow 56 when additional heating was not desired.

Also, as with the heater 10, the exterior would be darkly colored andmade of plastic or some other durable material, while the interiorsurface would be white or some other highly reflective surface. Aninsulated door, similar to door 20, could be provided to the back of theunit to facilitate removal of a pet from the pet house 50 and tofacilitate cleaning the pet house 50. The angle of the window 56 wouldbe ±25 degrees in the summer and, by rotating the pet house 50 by 45degrees to its back, the angle of the window 56 would be ±55 degrees inthe winter. As illustrated in the partially cut-away portion of FIG. 5A,the window 56 is set within a frame 62 formed within the shell 52.

A pet door would preferably be installed into either side of the pethouse 50 to enable access, with the use, type and insulated nature ofthe pet door depending on the type of pet and the location of the pethouse 50. Additional ventilation may also be required. To facilitaterotation of the pet house 50 from its summer operating position to itswinter operating position, the pet door would also need to berepositionable or accessible by the pet regardless of its position. Forexample, a flap style door might need to be repositioned, where adifferent type of door opening may not. Since the size and R-value ofthe pet door can have a significant impact on the efficiency of the pethouse 50, the pet door should be carefully selected. Preferably, theoverall R-value of the pet house 50 (other than the window 56) is 5 orhigher.

A passive solar tent in accordance with the present invention isillustrated in FIG. 6A, which provides a partially cut-away side view ofthe tent 70, and FIG. 6B, which provides a front view. In the preferredembodiment of the present invention, when the tent 70 is positioned inits summer operating position, the dimensions of the shell 72 and window76 are as follows:

The bottom side panel 74 is 7 feet deep by 4 feet wide;

The height of the tent 70 is 6 feet;

The height of the front face panel 78 is 2 feet;

The depth of the top panel 80 is 3 feet; and

The window 76 is 5 feet high by 2 feet 3 inches wide.

After accounting for a portion of the internal volume created by theshell 72 being filled with insulation, the above dimensions yield aninterior volume of the tent 70 of ±144 cubic feet, while the size of theglass window 76 is ±12 square feet, thereby creating a 12:1 ratio.Ratios of as low as 6:1 would also be acceptable. As with the heater 10and pet house 50, the insulation of the tent 70, aside from the windowand any ventilation should result in an R-value of 5 or more, with theexterior being black and the interior being white or highly reflective.In each case, the dimensions and R-values need to be balanced to theparticular application. The primary utilization of the tent 70 would beto generate a moderate level of heat within the tent 70 so as to keepits occupants comfortable, without overheating. Higher volume to windowsize ratios may be needed and appropriate if the tent 70 is primarily tobe used later in the day and over night, where heat needs to be built upquickly and then retained for as long as possible. Variable window 76shape designs can be used to model the most appropriate heat generationcapabilities for particular intended uses, and as noted above, ifnecessary, the tent 70 can be turned on its side to further maximizeheat generation and retention. Ventilation will also be necessary andR-values will need to be adjusted in order accommodate heat loss due toventilation.

Since the human occupants of the tent 70 can manipulate a full size doorin the back of the tent 70, there is no need to provide a per door likeopening, but it will be necessary to create a internal-latchingmechanism for the door that can be opened from the inside and theoutside. Also, since it may be desirable to make the tent 70 portable,very different light weight and flexible insulation materials may berequired for the tent 70 than were appropriate for use with the heater10 and pet house 50. For example, it may be necessary to make the tent70 so that it can be assembled and disassembled quickly by one or moreusers. Alternatively, the tent 70 could be stationary, and much larger,such as the tents used for picnics, sporting events and other outdoorevents, especially in cold weather climates. Finally, as with the heater10 and the pet house 50, the tent 70 has both a summer and winteroperation position, whether the window 76 is at 25 degrees relative toground in the summer and when rotated 45 degrees, the window 76 is at 55degrees to ground in the winter.

Many more applications are possible provided certain aspects of theinvention are maintained, including the dark exterior and highlyreflective interior, the overall R-value of the insulated walls of theheating unit (heater 10, pet house 50, tent 70, etc.) are 5 or higher,the window has an R-value of 1 or more, the door or other opening iscapable of retaining as much heat as possible, and the entire heatingunit can be rotated from the summer window angle of approximately 25degrees to ground to a winter angle of approximately 55 degrees toground without requires structural modification of the heating unit.

While the present invention has been illustrated and described in termsof a preferred embodiment and several alternatives herein in associationwith the various drawing figures, should not be limited to just theparticular description contained in this specification. Additionalalternative or equivalent components and steps could be used to practicethe present invention.

1. A portable, passive solar system, comprising an insulated shellincluding a top panel, a bottom panel, a front panel, a first sidepanel, a second side panel, a third side panel, and an inclined panelhaving a window with an area when the insulated shell is positioned in afirst operating position, and the top panel becoming a first side of theinsulated shell, the front panel becoming a top of the insulated shell,the bottom panel becoming a second side of the insulated shell, and thethird side panel becoming a bottom of the insulated shell when theinsulated shell is positioned in a second operating position, theinsulated shell including an exterior surface and an interior surface,the top panel, the bottom panel, the front panel, the first side panel,the second side panel, the third side panel, and the inclined panelforming an interior having a volume for holding an item, the windowpermitting sun light to enter the insulated shell and heat the itemwhile the interior surface and the top panel in the first operatingposition and the front panel in the second operating position cause thesun light to be reflected and trapped within the interior.
 2. The systemof claim 1, wherein the inclined panel is positioned at a 25 degreeangle relative to the bottom panel when the insulated shell ispositioned in the first operating position, and wherein the inclinedpanel is positioned at a 55 degree angle relative to the bottom of theinsulated shell when the insulated shell is positioned in the secondoperating position.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the firstoperating position is a summer operating position and the secondoperating position is a winter operating position.
 4. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the exterior surface is darkly colored to absorb heatfrom the sun and wherein the interior surface is lightly colored toreflect sun light entering the insulated shell.
 5. The system as recitedin claim 1, wherein the window has an R-value of at least 1 and each ofthe top panel, the bottom panel, the front panel, the first side panel,the second side panel, and the third side panel have an R-value of atleast
 5. 6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the item is apersonal item of a user and wherein a ratio between the volume to thearea is between approximately 5:1 and approximately 20:1.
 7. The systemas recited in claim 6, wherein the ratio is approximately 16:1.
 8. Thesystem as recited in claim 1, wherein the item is a pet of a user andwherein a ratio between the volume to the area is between approximately4.5:1 and approximately 6.75:1.
 9. The system as recited in claim 8,wherein the ratio is approximately 6:1.
 10. The system as recited inclaim 8, further comprising a ventilator and a cover for the window. 11.The system as recited in claim 8, wherein either the first side panel,the second side panel, or the third side panel has a door flap for thepet to ingress and egress.
 12. The system as recited in claim 1, whereinthe item is a user and wherein a ratio between the volume to the area isbetween approximately 6:1 and approximately 12:1.
 13. The system asrecited in claim 12, wherein the ratio is approximately 12:1.
 14. Thesystem as recited in claim 12, further comprising a ventilator and acover for the window.
 15. The system as recited in claim 12, whereineither the first side panel, the second side panel, or the third sidepanel has a door with an internal closing mechanism for the user toingress and egress.
 16. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein thethird side panel is a door having a latch for holding the door closed.17. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the latch is acompression latch.
 18. The system as recited in claim 1, furthercomprising a handle attached to the first side panel and the second sidepanel for enabling a user to portably carry the insulated shell with theitem sitting balanced on the interior surface of the bottom panel. 19.The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the inclined panel ispositioned at a 5 degree angle relative to the bottom panel when theinsulated shell is positioned in the first operating position, andwherein the inclined panel is positioned at an 85 degree angle relativeto the bottom of the insulated shell when the insulated shell ispositioned in the second operating position.
 20. A portable, passivesolar system, comprising an insulated shell including a top panel, abottom panel, a front panel, a first side panel, a second side panel, athird side panel, and an inclined panel having a window with an areawhen the insulated shell is positioned in a first operating position,and the top panel becoming a first side of the insulated shell, thefront panel becoming a top of the insulated shell, the bottom panelbecoming a second side of the insulated shell, and the third side panelbecoming a bottom of the insulated shell when the insulated shell ispositioned in a second operating position, the insulated shell includingan exterior surface and an interior surface, the top panel, the bottompanel, the front panel, the first side panel, the second side panel, thethird side panel, and the inclined panel forming an interior having avolume for holding an item, the inclined panel positioned at a 25 degreeangle relative to the bottom panel when the insulated shell ispositioned in the first operating position, the inclined panelpositioned at a 55 degree angle relative to the bottom of the insulatedshell when the insulated shell is positioned in the second operatingposition, the window having an R-value of at least 1 and each of the toppanel, the bottom panel, the front panel, the first side panel, thesecond side panel, and the third side panel having an R-value of atleast 5, the window permitting sun light to enter the insulated shelland heat the item while the interior surface and the top panel in thefirst operating position and the front panel in the second operatingposition cause the sun light to be reflected and trapped within theinterior.
 21. The system of claim 20, wherein the exterior surface isdarkly colored to absorb heat from the sun and wherein the interiorsurface is lightly colored to reflect sun light entering the insulatedshell.
 22. The system as recited in claim 20, wherein the item is apersonal item of a user and wherein a ratio between the volume to thearea is between approximately 5:1 and approximately 20:1.
 23. The systemas recited in claim 20, wherein the item is a pet of a user and whereina ratio between the volume to the area is between approximately 4.5:1and approximately 6.75:1.
 24. The system as recited in claim 23, furthercomprising a ventilator and a cover for the window, and wherein eitherthe first side panel, the second side panel, or the third side panel hasa door flap for the pet to ingress and egress.
 25. The system as recitedin claim 20, wherein the item is a user and wherein a ratio between thevolume to the area is between approximately 6:1 and approximately 12:1.26. The system as recited in claim 25, further comprising a ventilatorand a cover for the window, and wherein either the first side panel, thesecond side panel, or the third side panel has a door with an internalclosing mechanism for the user to ingress and egress.